Days before Team USA was to begin their showcase, the Los Angeles Clippers withdrew Kawhi Leonard, a key component away from the Paris Olympics. The management couldn’t risk another injury-riddled season, especially after losing Paul George. Joel Embiid rides in the same boat of misery. The Philadelphia star center has cracked, usually at the precious time of the postseason. Additionally, being the team that got PG13, the Sixers’ title aspirations have ascended. Yet, they didn’t pull Embiid despite only playing 39 games this prior season.

Is it an excellent decision to let the 30-year-old play high-pressure basketball when he hasn’t sustained a long NBA season once in his career?

Bill Simmons and his band of guests spoke about the issue on the Bill Simmons podcast. And there seemed to be a universal belief that the decision to allow Embiid to play in Paris was impeccable. One of the panel guests feels the “forced training camp” could aid The Process in gaining some discipline post-injury.

“By the way, congrats to Philly for having, you know a forced kind of training camp to put the dude through some kind of discipline in the summer post his injury,” Joe House said on the Bill Simmons podcast.

The host promptly agreed. “Philly’s the big winner,” Simmons said. However, the renowned media personnel also spoke about his complicated evaluation of the 2023 MVP, calling him a “luxury item”.

“Just watch him on TV. He’s the luxury item of this team that I’m both not sure they need, but then on the flip side, I think they really need him. Like, guess what? When they play France, you know who’s gonna be nice to have, Joel Embiid. When they play Jokic, guess what? He’s gonna be really fired up…” Simmons said.

With Joel Embiid dedicating himself to playing like an “MVP” on the Olympics stage, it means he is working and polishing his skills every day. Not only will that accustom his body to playing basketball throughout the year, but also toughen him given the physical nature of international basketball. Yes, it does carry a massive season-jeopardizing risk if Embiid falls prey to an injury again.

However, the upside of having him play active basketball in the offseason is immeasurable. Not only will he add wisdom to his game, but also refine his arsenal in the presence of such revered basketball stars. So far, Joel Embiid has shown elite mastery of the NBA game. Imagine what he will be after being forced to sharpen his technical skills for the Olympics.

A beast could be in the making.

The first of the injury concern for Joel Embiid is here

Bill Simmons and his podcast crew recognized the pivotal role Joel Embiid could play for Team USA in the Olympics. However, they had just one concern: his health. Even though the star center hasn’t picked up any physical injuries so far, a concerning update has emerged from the camps of Team USA.

Following the Olympics opening ceremony and the shower of rain, Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis have both been diagnosed with an illness. Their participation against Serbia could be in doubt. But as of now, head coach Steve Kerr is confident about the centers playing the opener. “We’ll have everybody ready tomorrow,” said the 2020 gold medal-winning assistant coach.

But if the worst does happen, Team USA loses two of their three centers on the roster against Nikola Jokić, a transcending and one of the elite centers in the game today. A depleted center rotation that only boasts Bam Adebayo could strike major peril for Team USA. They need every large body they can against the Joker, who is an expert at drawing fouls. Having the entire lineup, even Kevon Durant is crucial for the star-studded team at this point.

The Olympics have arrived. But with it, the room for errors has closed.